District



F. W. KNUDSEN.

CARCASS SPLITTING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED DEc.24. I92I.

1,434,440; Patented Nov. 7, 1922.

2 SHEETS-SHEET l.

`l attente F. W. KNUDSEN.4

CARCASS SPLITTING MACHINE.

APPLICATON FILED DEC.24, 192|.

Patented Nov. 7, 1922.

2 SHEETS-sum 2- outlined.

Patented Nov. 7, 1922.

intra PATENT orifice.

Farra w. irNUiisiiN, or wasiiiNs'roN, Disriaic'r or COLUMBIA. y

caRcAss-srLirrrNe MACHINE.

Application led- December 24, 11921. Serial No. 524,676.

To all fw/Lom't may concern) Be it known that I, FRITZ W. KNUnsnm-a citizen or the United States, 'residing jat lVashington, in the District of Columbia,

haver invented certain newandl usefuly Improvenients .in CarcassfSplitting Machines, oi? which. the following is a'speciication.

\ The invention has for an object to -pro, 'vide an improved 'forni of cutterfor use in halviiig hogs-that 4is `to say, cutting in half a dressed hog, and especially adapted to use in cutting the hogs down themiddle of the back accurately. lt is-anespecial aim 'to provide such a device which will tend to automatically adjust itself so as to cut along the center of the spine of the hog, thus dividing the carcass evenly. It is a further aim to provide a device of this kind which may be operated readily by one man to quickly cut a hog in .halt1 while-hung upon use also in cutting hogs upon double tracks.

It is a very important aim of" the invention to so construct this device ,that it will automatically center itself aiterbeingstart` ed by the simple application of force pressing the cutter againsttheinner side of the dressed hog. A further important aim is to provide a device of `this character which may be loperated Vsatisfactorily, upon hogs while in motion along the overhead ytrack, "as is oi'ten the -case in 'slaughter houses` or 'reirigerating"plants.` l y it is a further aimto improve the construction and* mounting loi! suchappliance, whereby a .rotary cutter may be readily employed in such. adevice and foithe ends Additional objects, advantages and teatures ofinvention reside in the construction, arrangement .and combination of parts, as will be more readily understood ironi the following description and from .the

drawings. in which, f y f Figure 1 isjan elevational view of onevemvbodinient ot my.' invention with the motor .drive'reinoved, and'with a hogindicated in position to be cut, in dotted lines, the inal position otmy cutting device being also dotted. I

Fig. 2 is a view of the upper partand mounting` of my device, at right angles to Fig. 1, and representing also a s lidable mounting, while the structure shown in Fig.

`1 represents a universal pivot.

Fig. 3 is a sectional view transversely of the cutter showing the driving connections thereto.

. F ig. t is a cross sectional view on the line awa of Fig. 8, in the direction or' the arrows. *Fig is a detail of a modified mounting of the motor drive.

Fig. 6 is a detail of a .modified method of securing the tube' 21 to the part 38.

Therexis illustrated an overhead rail l0, upon which meat hooks ll may travel, the rail being carried by brackets 12 and other brackets, where necessary. A whole hog with the head removed is dotted at 13, vhung upon la gambrel lt, resting in the hook 11. A horizontal bar 15' mayl be mounted between two brackets 12, and upon this bar thereis revoluble` a sleeve 1,6, which, in Fig. l is formedwith a stud 1,7 at right angles thereto, threaded at its outer part and having revoluble thereona lateral enlargement 18 olf` a guide sleeve 19, a nut 20 being utilized to hold thesleeve thus mounted on the stud 17. y vIn Fig. 2, the guide sleeve 19 f corresponding to the sleeve19'is formed integrally or secured rigidlyjto the sleeve 16. Slidable in the guide sleeve, there is a housing tube or stem 21 withinwliich. a drive shaft 22 of the device rotates.` The tube 2l may be revolubley inthe sleeve, or may be splined therein, but in anyy case it is slidable freely in the sleeve. At. its upper end, a

and in laddition maybe boltedto the motor ,i 'iii-ame 22. The shaft 221nay be coupled. to

the shaft ot the motor .in any suitable way, various devices and methods being well known lor this use. in case there is a low ceiling or door over the room in which my device is used, a lwell 2G may be formed therein to permit movement of the motor 23 upwardly therethrough and for such lateral movement as may be necessary, and above the'well pulleys 27 are provided at suitable heights, over which runs a cable 2S connected to the motor casing orto the tube 2l, as may be desired, a counterweight 29 being provided at the opposite end oi the cable.

Current'for the motor may. be transmitted upon which a motor- 23 is mopptedywith its axis of rotatibmat right angles tothe amis of the shaft 22, and power is transmittedby means of bevel ears 32, this rmtting the shaft 22 to be criven at a dirent rate of speed from that of the motor, by proper proportioning of the gears 32.

At the lower end of the tube 21 a casing 33 is mounted, having a rotary saw 34 mounted therein driven by the shaft 22 as described, and having a handle 35 by which it is operated, the handle having a switch 36 there on by which the motor may be "control-led, the wire 37 from the switch being extended upwardly within the tube 21, to themotor casing. The casing is madein two sections, mounted on alane medially of the saw blade 34. and ov a form to cover about onehalf of the circumference of the saw,` and having bearings in each section in which the shaft carrying the saw is journalled. The back section 38 of the casing is formed with a socket portion 39 at the 'upper part in which the end of the tube 21l inafy be secured,

:' either by being screwed thereinto, or otherwise, Fi 3 representing the tube as externaliy thr 'nded and the socket portion 39' internallv threaded, while Fig. 6 shows a -method whereby the 'socket portion may be held with a detachable part 4() bolted to the part 38,v whereby the tube may be clamped removably. From the socket portion, a channel 41 extending toward the axis of the saw is formed, the shaft 22 extending through this channel and having its lower end journalled in a bearing 42 shown clearly in Figs. 3 and 4, the bearing including a removable cap and usual babbitting 4331` A bevelled gear 44 is secured upon the lower end of the shaft 22, meshed with alike gea-r 45 having a shaft 46 journalled in a suitable socket bearin in the sectionf38,'the Gear being utilized as one of the Harige e ements by which the saw is clamped, the opposite end portion ofthe shaft 46"bein`g threaded and having a cone 4" yscrewed thereon, by which a clamping plate 48 may `be pressed against the side of the saw opposite the gear 45. The vfront section 50 of the casing is secured Vto the back section 38 by means ot' screws 49, and has a central enlargement 51 in which there is set a ball-race 52 arranged concentrically with the cone`47, balls 53 bein interposed in the usual manner.

Y, Iit those edges of the casing between which the saw 34 projects,there are formed guide flanges 55, extending divergently at a suitable angle from the saw and being curved outwardly and backwardly slightly at their extremities, these flanges4 being adapted to engage the ribs or the prominence of the `spine within the hog, so as to steady the saw when these flanges are preed against the inner side of the hog as indicated at 56 in Fig. 3.

In the use of this appliance, as hogs are moved along thereil suspended: from thc hooks 1l, an operator grasps the handle 35 of my deviee raising it to its upper limit, and when a hog is positioned closely adj-.icent the mounting of the sleeve 19, the hack or outer side of the hog being presented away from the` device, the operator energizes the motor through the switch 36, and moves the device into the position shown in full lines in Fig. 1, the cnttinglof the hog thus being begun'. The saw is pressed inwardly until' the flanges 55 engage forcibly on each side of the back bone, whereby the device is centered, and it is, gradually' pressed downwardly so that. cutting of the hog will continue down the medial line o't'V the back bone, until the cutteris moved to the position dotted in Fig. 1,'when it is raised and moved tofan inoperative position, the. motor being stopped, if desired. ln case the hogs :1re being movedconstantly past the cutting dcvice, the cutter is preferably moved to the one limit of its movement and engaged with the first hog which approaches while that position, being moved downwardly and latorally as the 10g is moved, and as soon as the cutting operation is completed, the deviceis raised and moved back to the left or right, as the casema be, to initial position.

The device is readily adapted to use upon cattle and other formsy of meat besides wholev carcasses, as will `be understood.

It is desirable that the saw be operated so that its lower part shall' move toward the casing, so that the device will `thereby be drawn toward thework, and in that manner held centered, requiring only a downward pressure on the operating handle by the workman after the saw is properly started.

' What isclaimeda- 1. In a device ofI thecharacter described, a rota saw, a. mounting therefor movable in a p ane with. the saw and transversely thereto, `divergent meat engaging centering members extending beside the saw, 4means to operate the saw' and means to move the mounting' for cutting action.

2. In a device of the character described,

a semicircular casing, a saw concentrically revoluble therein, means to move the casing, fOr operationl of the saw, o erativeconnections for the saw, a stem-li member projected upwardly from the casing, a pivoted sleeve receiving the `stern-like member slidably, and counterbalancing means engaged with the outer part of the stem.

3. In-a device of the character described, a semicircular casing, a saw concentrically revoluble therein, means to move the casing for operation of the saw, a stem-like member projected vupwardly from the casing, a pivoted sleeve receiving `the stem-like member slidably, and counterbalancing means engaged with the outer part of the stem, a

motor mounted on the upper end of the stem, and operative connections between the motor and the saw.

4c. In a device of the character described, a saw nlounting having a rectilinear' mounting stem, a saw revoluble in the mounting, a pivotally mounted sleeve receiving the stem slidably, a counterbalance engaged with the stem, and operative connections for the saw.

5. In a device of the character described, a rotating, cutter, a mounting therefor having a stem of considerable length projected therefrom, and a mounting for the stem having a pivotal movement and a bodily movement in a predetermined direction.

6. In a device of the character described, a horizontal bar, a guide sleeve extended in a transverse relation thereto pivotally and slidably mounted thereon, a stem slidable in the sleeve, a revoluble cutter mounted on the lower end of the stem, a counterbalance engaged with the stem, and operative connections for the saw.

7. In a device of the character described, a guide sleeve pivoted on an axis transverse thereto, a hollow stem slidable therein, a shaft revoluble therein, a motor mounted on the upper end of the stem, operative connections between the motor and shaft, a revoluble cutter mounted at the lower end of the stem, operative connections between the cutter and shaft, and a counterbalance connected with the stem.

8. In a carcass splitting machine, a trackway for carcass carriers, a guiding support parallel thereto, a mounting movable longitudinally upon the support in fixed relation to the medial line of the support, a splitting device Vmounted for movement in all directions in a plane fixed with respect to said mounting but translatable with the mounting, the splitting` device being iXed rigidly against movement out of said plane.

In testimony whereof I have affixed' my signature.

FRITZ W. KNUDSEN. 

